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Blair wrote letters to Oliver and Hermione while Harry wrote to Sirius and Ron.

Dear Olli,

Harry and I were just attacked by dementors, and we might be expelled from Hogwarts. Don't go here. They say I need to stay here with Harry. I'll see you soon, Olli. Take care of yourself.

Love,

Blair

Dear Mione,

We've just been attacked by dementors, and we might be expelled from Hogwarts. They say that I need to stay here with Harry. I want to know what's going on and when we're getting out of here.

Love,

Blair

P.S. You don't need Stupefy. You're a natural stunner.

Blair gave Harry her letters, and they waited for Hedwig to come back from her hunting. Harry paced the bedroom while Blair lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling. She clutched at her chest, right where her scar was. It had been hurting since the dementors came, but she just realized the pain now. Harry stopped pacing. "Why did the dementors come? And why were Mrs. Figg and Mundungus Fletcher tailing me? I'm grateful, but why do you have to stay here?"

Blair sat up lazily. "I don't know, James. But I'm more worried about our hearing. And I'm still frustrated that no one's telling us what's happening."

Harry sat down beside Blair. "And that voice. From the Howler. What did it mean by the last time? Does my aunt know anything about magic?"

Blair stared at him for a second before answering. "Maybe, try asking her when she's calmed down. But Harry, we have to know what's happening. We can't just stay here trapped like we've done something wrong."

"Don't do magic. Stay in the house." Harry said with a bitter tone. "What was I supposed to do? Stay in here in misery? I just wanted to see one of my friends. And we couldn't let the dementors kiss us and let us die."

Blair leaned her head on his shoulder and felt Harry's head lean against hers. "I know it's hard, Harry. Believe me, I know. After everything we've been through."

The two settled in a comfortable silence then Hedwig soared through the window. Blair immediately stood up. "Finally!"

"You can put that down, I've got work for you!" Harry said hastily. Hedwig's large round amber eyes gazed reproachfully at him over the dead frog clamped in her beak.

"Come here," said Harry, picking up the four small rolls of parchment and a leather thong and tying the scrolls to her scaly leg. "Take these straight to Oliver, Sirius, Ron, and Hermione."

"Oh, and don't come back here without good long replies. Keep pecking them till they've written decent-length answers if you've got to. Understand?" Blair said sternly. Hedwig gave a muffled hooting noise, beak still full of frog.

"Get going, then," said Harry. She took off immediately. The moment she'd gone, Harry threw himself onto his bed and stared at the ceiling.

Blair stood over him. "Scoot over." Harry moved over, and Blair lay down beside him. Their shoulders touched, and they stared up at the ceiling, lost in their thoughts. Surely, they would have the answers they had been seeking tomorrow.

Blair closed her eyes and mumbled. "G'night, James."

"G'night, Aika." She heard Harry mutter softly before sleep rolled over her.

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Hedwig didn't return next morning. Blair and Harry spent the day in his bedroom. Blair didn't have any clothes so Harry had let her borrow his clothes that were too big for Blair. Petunia shoved food for the two of them through the cat-flap. Harry would try questioning her about the Howler, but still no answer. 

So it went on for two whole days. Harry would pace his bedroom furiously while Blair would just lie on Harry's bed and stare into the space. They'd talk about the hearing at the Ministry, what may happen. Blair offered Harry to stay with her and Oliver, and that made them feel better. On the third day, they were pleased to see Herman, flying through the window, but disappointed when it was only a letter and a package from Oliver.

Dear Blair,

Can't have a quiet day, can you? Before you start shouting, I know it isn't your fault. Someone must have made the dementors come to you and Harry-

"See? Even Oliver knows it." Harry said.

I understand. And I hope you take care of yourself too. I'm going to be busy with the new Quidditch season so I'm afraid I'll only be able to send a letter during the holidays. Don't send a letter back. Send my greetings to Harry. I love you, little B.

Love,

Olli

Blair pocketed the letter and sighed while stroking Herman, who nipped her ears affectionately before flying away. "But when will we get our answers from them?"

On the fourth night after Hedwig's departure, Harry was lying in the bed, staring at the ceiling while Blair lay on the floor, tapping it mindlessly. Suddenly, Vernon came in, wearing his best suit. "We're going out," he said smugly.

"Sorry?" Harry said.

"We — that is to say, your aunt, Dudley, and I — are going out."

"Fine," said Harry dully, looking back at the ceiling. Blair lay down on the floor and closed her eyes while Vernon went on about what to do and what not to do before locking them in. It was silent as they listened to the unmistakable sound of the car sweeping out of the drive.

Blair let out a sigh and pushed back her hair. "Godric, Harry. I don't know how you lived here for 15 years, but then again, you're The Boy Who Lived. You could probably live anywhere and still be alive."

Harry chuckled softly, and silence again. The room grew steadily darker around them as they lay listening to the night sounds through the window Harry kept open all the time, waiting for the blessed moment when Hedwig returned. 

Blair drowned in her thoughts. How she missed the Prancers. None of them knew after all where she was. She would just have to tell them when- if she'd go back to Hogwarts.  And then, quite distinctly, she heard a crash in the kitchen below. Blair and Harry sat bolt upright, listening intently. They exchanged glances. There was silence and then they heard the voices.

"Not the Dursleys, right?" Blair whispered to him.

"No. Come on, Aika." Harry said.

They held up their wands and stood up facing the bedroom door, listening with all their might. Next moment, they jumped as the lock gave a loud click and the door swung open. Blair and Harry gripped each other's hands tight, listening for further sounds, but none came. Hand in hand, they moved swiftly and silently out of Harry's room to the head of the stairs. The two of them slowed down. There were people standing in the shadowy hall below; eight or nine of them, all, as far as they could see, looking up at them.

"Lower your wands, Little B, boy, before you take someone's eye out," said a low, growling voice. Blair knew that voice, but she didn't lower her wand.

"Professor Moody?" Harry said uncertainly.

"I don't know so much about 'Professor,' " growled the voice, "never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly."

Harry lowered his wand slightly, but Blair pointed hers at Moody. "What spell did I use to beat Tonks in our first duel?"

Suddenly, laughter came around, and Blair and Harry looked at each other in confusion. "I told you the Little B is gonna be an Auror. It's the Disarming Charm. Now, can you come here?" Blair finally lowered her wand and smiled slightly. It was the real Moody. 

A second, slightly hoarse voice floated upstairs. "It's all right, Blair, Harry. We've come to take you away."

Blair's eyes widened. "P-Professor Lupin?"

"Is that you?" Harry said disbelievingly.

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" said a third voice, this one familiar to Blair, a woman's. "Lumos."

A wand tip flared, illuminating the hall with magical light. Blair blinked. The people below were  gazing intently up at them, some craning their heads for a better look. She looked around to see Remus Lupin standing nearest to them. Though still quite young, he looked tired and rather ill. Nevertheless, he was smiling broadly at Blair and Harry, who tried to smile back through their shock.

"Wotcher, Aika. Won't you say hello?"

Blair turned around to see Tonks there with her lit wand. She grinned and pulled Tonks into a hug. "Dora! It's good to see you."

"Same to you, Blair." Tonks turned to look at Harry. "Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would. Wotcher, Harry!"

Blair whispered to Harry. "That's Tonks. She's one of the Aurors I trained with." Harry nodded and smiled at Tonks.

"Hello, Blair." A deep, slow voice said from the back.

Blair smiled widely. "Kingsley! You're here. Nice to see you."

Kingsley chuckled lightly then turned to Harry. "Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus. He looks exactly like James."

"Except the eyes. Lily's eyes." said a wheezy-voiced, silver-haired wizard at the back.

Moody was squinting suspiciously at Harry though. "Are you quite sure it's him, Little B?" he growled. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?"

Blair rolled her eyes before turning to Harry. "Harry, where's my scar?"

"Right below your right collarbone," said Harry nervously.

Blair raised an eyebrow at Moody. "Happy now?" Moody smiled in amusement and nodded. Blair and Harry descended the stairs, very conscious of everybody still staring at them. Harry started stowing his wand into the back pocket of his jeans as he came.

"Don't put your wand there, boy!" roared Moody. "What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!"

Blair scoffed at that. "Oh Mister Alastor. Who do you even know who's lost a buttock?"

"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!" growled Mad-Eye. "Elementary wand safety, nobody bothers about it anymore..." He stumped off toward the kitchen. "And I saw that," he added irritably, as Tonks and Blair rolled their eyes at the ceiling.

Lupin held out his hand and shook Harry's then Blair gave him a quick hug. "How are you?" he asked, looking at them closely.

"F-fine..." Harry stuttered.

Blair simply smiled at Lupin, still shocked at what was happening. She glanced at the people behind Lupin; they were still gazing avidly at them. Blair felt very conscious of the fact that she was wearing Harry's shirt.

"I'm — you're really lucky the Dursleys are out..." Harry mumbled.

"Lucky, ha!" said Tonks. "It was me that lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now... Or they think they are."

"Great one, Dora," Blair snorted before speaking seriously. "But we're leaving, aren't we? Today?"

"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for the all-clear."

"Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Not the Burrow, no," said Lupin, motioning Blair and Harry toward the kitchen. "Too risky. We've set up headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while..."

Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labor-saving appliances.

Lupin pointed to Tonks. "Harry, this is Nymphadora —"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," said the young witch with a shudder. "It's Tonks."

"— Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," finished Lupin.

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora,' " muttered Tonks.

Blair whispered to her. "At least, it isn't something like Bathilda. The horror." The two of them shuddered at the memory of one of their fellow Auror trainees.

"And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt" — Lupin pointed to Kingsley, who bowed —

"Elphias Doge" — the wheezy-voiced wizard nodded —

"Dedalus Diggle —"

"We've met before," squeaked the excitable Diggle, dropping his top hat.

"— Emmeline Vance" — a stately looking witch in an emerald green shawl inclined her head —

"Sturgis Podmore" — a square-jawed wizard with thick, straw-colored hair winked —

"and Hestia Jones." A pink-cheeked, black-haired witch waved from next to the toaster.

Blair waved at each of them as they were introduced, but she soon felt uncomfortable when they kept on looking at her and Harry. She also wondered why so many of them were there. "A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you two," said Lupin, as though he had read Blair's mind; the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Yeah, well, the more the better," said Moody darkly. "We're your guard, Little B, Potter."

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. "We've got about fifteen minutes."

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said Tonks, who was looking around the kitchen with great interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just like with wizards?"

"Er — yeah," said Harry. "Look" — he turned back to Lupin — "what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol — ?"

Blair's eyes widened when several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again. Moody growled, "Shut up!"

"What?" said Blair.

"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky," said Moody, turning his normal eye on Blair; his magical eye remained pointing up at the ceiling. "Damn it," he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keeps sticking — ever since that scum wore it —" And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.

"Mad-Eye, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks conversationally.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Little B?" asked Moody. Blair crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass, and filled it with water at the sink, still watched eagerly by the band of wizards, who alternated their stares between her and Harry.

"Cheers," said Moody, when Blair handed him the glass. He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and prodded it up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them all in turn. "I want three-hundred-and-sixty degrees visibility on the return journey."

"How're we getting — wherever we're going?" Blair asked.

"Brooms," said Lupin. "Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network, and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorized Portkey."

"Remus says you two are good fliers," said Kingsley in his deep voice.

"They're excellent," said Lupin, who was checking his watch. "Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes."

"I'll come and help," said Tonks brightly. Harry and Tonks then went up the stairs.

Blair turned to Moody, Lupin and Kingsley. "Do you know why I'm here? I mean, why would I need to stay here?"

Lupin and Kingsley shared uneasy glances. Moody shook his head. "Little B, it was under Dumbledore's orders."

"After weeks of no information, I come to visit Harry, and dementors suddenly come at us. I was hoping that we'd finally have information then, but all we get is stay in the house. Don't use magic," said Blair bitterly. "What were we supposed to do?"

Lupin rested a hand on her shoulder. "We're sorry, Blair. We don't really understand as well, but we have to trust Dumbledore. If we don't... well, we can't really trust anyone else anymore.

"We only have each other now, Blair. There's only a few people we can trust, and remember. Dumbledore always finds a way to make it right," Kingsley spoke in his deep voice.

Blair sighed defeatedly. "There's no way I'd be able to get any information out of you lot now, right? Well, at least tell me my clothes are there. I've been wearing Harry's clothes for four days.

The three men in front of her just chuckled. Moody smiled at her softly. "Don't worry, Lil' B. It will all work out just fine. Constant vigilance."

Blair nodded and smiled back at the three of them. At least, her worries were relieved a bit. Tonks and Harry came back with Harry's things. Harry was holding his broomstick. 

Tonks wiggled her eyebrows at Blair and Harry. "Wearing Harry's shirt now, are we, Blair? And I thought you were in love with Hermione."

Harry blushed deeply, but Blair merely chuckled. "I don't really have a choice. And they're quite comfy if I say so myself." 

Blair watched Lupin who was sealing a letter addressed to the Dursleys. "Excellent," said Lupin, looking up. "We've got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. Blair, your Firebolt will be there. Harry, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry —"

"They won't," said Harry.

"That you're safe —"

"That'll just depress them."

"— and you'll see them next summer."

"Do I have to?"

Lupin smiled but made no answer. "Come here, Little B, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Blair and Harry toward him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you two."

"You need to what?" said Harry nervously.

"Disillusionment Charm," said Moody, raising his wand. "Lupin says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stay on while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here you go —" He rapped Harry first then Blair hard on the top of the head and Blair felt a curious sensation as though Moody had just smashed an egg there; cold trickles seemed to be running down her body from the point the wand had struck.

"Nice one, Mad-Eye," said Tonks appreciatively, staring at Blair.

Blair looked down at her body, or rather, what had been her body, for it didn't look anything like hers anymore. It was not invisible; it had simply taken on the exact color and texture of the kitchen unit behind her. She seemed to have become a human chameleon.

"Come on," said Moody, unlocking the back door with his wand.

They all stepped outside onto Vernon's beautifully kept lawn. Blair smiled when Kingsley handed over her Firebolt. She caressed it and missed it so much after days of not flying on it.

"Clear night," grunted Moody, his magical eye scanning the heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you two," he barked at Harry and Blair.

"We're going to be flying in close formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep close on her tail. Lupin'll be covering you from below. I'm going to be behind you. You two stay in the middle. The rest'll be circling us. We don't break ranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed —"

"Is that likely?" Harry asked apprehensively, but Moody ignored him.

"— the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. If they take out all of us and you survive, Blair, Harry, the rear guard are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you."

"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, they'll think we're not taking this seriously," said Tonks, as she strapped Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from her broom.

"I'm just telling Little B and the boy the plan," growled Moody. "Our job's to deliver them safely to headquarters and if we die in the attempt —"

"No one's going to die," said Kingsley in his deep, calming voice.

"Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!" said Lupin sharply, pointing into the sky.

Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks had flared among the stars. Blair recognized them at once as wand sparks. She swung her right leg over her Firebolt, gripped its handle tightly, and felt it vibrating very slightly, as though it was as keen as she was to be up in the air once more.

"Second signal, let's go!" said Lupin loudly, as more sparks, green this time, exploded high above them.

Blair kicked off hard from the ground. The cool night air rushed through her hair as the neat square gardens of Privet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark greens and blacks, and every thought of the Ministry hearing was swept from her mind as though the rush of air had blown it out of her head.

She felt as though her heart was going to explode with pleasure; she was flying again, flying away from the big scary world that had plagued her dreams with nightmares and pain. She was going home... For a few glorious moments, all her problems seemed to recede into nothing, insignificant in the vast, starry sky.

"Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!" shouted Moody from behind them. Tonks swerved and Blair followed her swiftly. "We need more height... Give it another quarter of a mile!" Blair felt chills on her body as they soared upward; she could see nothing below now but tiny pinpricks of light that were car headlights and streetlamps. 

"D'you reckon they might have found out by now that the lawn competition doesn't exist?" said Harry with a little laugh.

"Oh, I imagine them shouting, Harry Potter and that freaky Blair Wood!" Blair mocked Vernon, and she and Harry laughed aloud at the thought as they sped through the air. She had not felt this alive in a month, or this happy...

"Bearing south!" shouted Mad-Eye. "Town ahead!" They soared right, so that they did not pass directly over the glittering spider web of lights below.

"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" called Moody.

"We're not going through clouds!" shouted Tonks angrily. "We'll get soaked, Mad-Eye!"

Blair was relieved to hear her say this; her hands were growing numb on the Firebolt's handle. She wished that she had cast a warming charm before they went up. The material of Harry's shirt was too thin, and she was wearing his boxer shorts; she was starting to shiver even more.

They altered their course every now and then according to Moody's instructions. Blair's eyes were screwed up against the rush of icy wind that was starting to make her ears ache. She could remember being this cold on a broom only once before, during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, which had taken place in a storm. The guard around them was circling continuously like giant birds of prey. Blair lost track of time. She wondered how long they had been flying; it felt like an hour at least.

"Turning southwest!" yelled Moody. "We want to avoid the motorway!"

Blair followed and thought longingly of the warm, cackling fire in the Woody Woods. She missed Oliver more than ever now, and she smiled when she thought of her parents. They would have been livid if they saw how Blair was shivering, and while Olivia would tell her off, Blake would wink at her behind Olivia's back.

Kingsley swooped around her, baldpate and earring gleaming slightly in the moonlight... Now Emmeline Vance was on Harry's right, her wand out, her head turning left and right... then she too swooped over them, to be replaced by Sturgis Podmore...

"We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!" Moody shouted.

"ARE YOU MAD, MAD-EYE?" Tonks screamed from the front. "We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going off course we're not going to get there until next week! We're nearly there now!"

"Time to start the descent!" came Lupin's voice. "Follow Tonks, Blair, Harry!"

Blair followed Tonks into a dive. They were heading for the largest collection of lights she had yet seen, a huge, sprawling, crisscrossing mass, glittering in lines and grids, interspersed with patches of deepest black. Lower and lower they flew, until Blair could see individual headlights and streetlamps, chimneys, and television aerials. She wanted to reach the ground very much, though she felt sure that someone would have to unfreeze her from her broom.

"Here we go!" called Tonks, and a few seconds later she had landed. Blair and Harry touched down right behind her and dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering, Blair looked around and ran her hands up and down her arms. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors, and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.

"Where are we?" Blair asked.

Lupin said quietly, "In a minute."

Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled hands clumsy with cold. "Got it," he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it. The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out. He kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only light in the square came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.

"Borrowed it from Dumbledore," growled Moody, pocketing the Put-Outer. "That'll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window, see? Now, come on, quick." He took Blair and Harry by the arms and led them from the patch of grass, across the road, and onto the pavement.

Lupin and Tonks followed, carrying Harry's trunk between them, the rest of the guard, all with their wands out, flanking them. The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.

"Here," Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchment toward Blair's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wand close to it, so as to illuminate the writing. "Read quickly and memorize, you two." Blair and Harry looked down at the piece of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said:

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

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