
i. run, badger, run
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"Expelliarmus! Stupefy!" Deanna yelled and caught the new wand of Avery who was chasing after her as he flew away. Her eyes widened when she saw two more Death Eaters in front of her and as they raised their wands at her, she raised hers too. "Ignis Rugiet!"
A large exploding fireball came from Deanna's wand and she ran away and hid in the dark alley. She panted and slid down the wall to catch her breath. It had been more than a month since she ran from Avery and Nott. She was all bloody and bruised, but she didn't care. She just couldn't surrender herself to them.
Deanna let out a sigh of relief when nobody was chasing her anymore and stood up. She cautiously looked around and saw that the two Death Eaters she attacked with her fireball were still there. She quickly ran to them, took their wands and knowing that she looked bad with all the bruises, she took one of their cloaks and out of curiosity took off their masks as well. She identified them as Nott and Macnair.
She wore the cloak and put the hood up as she went on her way. She heard her stomach rumble and sighed. She hadn't been able to eat for the past week because Nott, Macnair and Avery had been chasing after her relentlessly. The last time, it was Lucius Malfoy so it had been easier to get away from him. Having three Death Eaters chasing after her did not give Deanna any time to rest or take a breath.
It started raining that moment, and Deanna groaned before she quickly ran to take cover and saw she was at the London Borough of Islington. She ducked into a alley in front of 11 Grimmauld Place and wrapped the cloak around herself, trying to bring some warmth into her body.
Deanna then let herself drown into her thoughts. She couldn't believe it still, and she hadn't thought of it much as she was on a tiring chase with the Death Eaters. She closed her eyes and let the rain fall on her. It was cold, and Deanna hated it, but she had no choice. She would rather be in an endless, cold chase with those Death Eaters before she would give in, even if it meant having a warm blanket wrapped around her.
She remembered her last memory from fifty years ago. She had just shouted at Olive Hornby, who made Myrtle Warren cry after teasing her about her glasses and talked to Rubeus Hagrid for a few moments. Deanna immediately went to the bathroom, but she stopped when she heard a voice, her lover's voice. Tom had whispered in a snakelike voice that Deanna couldn't understand, but she went in the bathroom anyways, and Deanna's heart fell when she saw that Myrtle was on the floor, unmoving, with Tom Riddle standing over her and a large snake, a Basilisk by his side.
"Myrtle! Help me, Tommy, we have to help her," Deanna cried out while trying to look for a pulse in Myrtle's body.
"She won't wake up," said Tom coldly. "She doesn't deserve to."
Deanna whipped around, glaring at him through her tears. "What are you saying? She's our friend, Tom!"
"SHE'S A MUDBLOOD!" Tom yelled and Deanna's eyes widened in surprise but not fear as his eyes turned into red slits for a split second.
Deanna stepped towards him. "Tom, this isn't you. You're not-"
"And what if this is who I am?" Tom stepped towards her with steeled eyes. "What if I am really evil and cruel?"
Deanna's expression faltered before she cupped his face with a soft smile. "No, you're not, Tom. This isn't you. I know you and I love you, and I know you didn't kill Myrtle." Deanna didn't know who she was trying to convince, she knew deep down inside she was trying to convince herself.
A smirk made its way onto Tom's handsome face. "Oh, Dee, love. You're too naΓ―ve. I killed this Mudblood."
Deanna's tears came streaming down at an uncontrollable pace and she shook her head frantically. "No, you didn't, you couldn't."
Tom leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "It's all for you, love. I did it all for you because I love you. And this too."
"Tom-"Β
Tom Riddle's soft smile was the last thing Deanna saw before she felt her eyes close and heard a low chuckled and then, it was all... dark.
Deanna blinked her eyes and wiped away the rain and tears from her face. She hadn't realized she was crying, but the memory of her love admitting to killing one of her friends still struck Deanna as if it happened yesterday. Fifty years may have passed, but she was still stuck in her memories of the past.
While she was on the run, Deanna got glimpses of the changes since she had been sleeping. She was surprised when she found out that she had been sleeping for 50 years, and her father was now the Headmaster at Hogwarts. That was where she wanted to go. Hogwarts, but she had Death Eaters chasing after her. She couldn't risk the possibility of endangering her father and other people.
But she was displeased to know that her father and a boy named Harry Potter were discredited several times by the Daily Prophet. She was surprised at first when she found out that the Minister was not anymore Leonard Spencer-Moon, but a man named Cornelius Fudge. And with bitterness, she remembered that she was asleep for fifty years.
It seemed that this Fudge man was adamant on making her father and this Potter nutters to the public. Deanna was furious when she first found out. She ought to go to this Minister and tell him off. How dare he make her father a liar when he was the most honest man Deanna knew? He took all of Albus's titles and even deemed him daft and dangerous. Deanna felt a sense of pride rise in her when she found out how famous her father had become. From being a simple Transfiguration professor, he had become a Headmaster.
And Deanna was feeling mixed emotions when she found out what her father and the Potter were fighting hard for. They were insisting on the return of a Lord Voldemort, and Deanna's eyes widened when she heard it. She had heard it once from Tom. That name Voldemort. He had asked Deanna once if she liked it, and Deanna said that it was quite grand and powerful. Tom had smiled widely and kissed-
Deanna shook her head. Enough of Tom- Voldemort. That was who he was now, and she had to accept it. He made his own choices, no matter how Deanna tried to stop him, and Deanna was going to walk on her own path now.
"So Potter got off, eh?" A gruff voice said from the street.
Deanna's ears suddenly perked up. Potter? The Harry Potter? And she stood up shakily and leaned against the wall, finding it hard to stand up on her own.
"Yes," a deep voice said. "But it was odd. Dumbledore left as soon as the trial started."
Deanna felt a sliver of hope in her. Dumbledore? Her father? She was finally finding someone who could help after a month of being chased. She opened her mouth to call out to them, but her knees buckled and she fell to the ground. She blinked her eyes repeatedly to keep herself awake.
'No, no, no,' thought Deanna as their voices and their footsteps were starting to fade. With all the strength she had left, Deanna got up and walked shakily. As she got to the entrance of the alley, she saw a man with a magical eye, a tall and dark man in blue robes and a woman with pink hair were going into a house that appeared in between 11 Grimmauld Place and 13 Grimmauld Place. Deanna gasped lightly as they entered and the house disappeared once more.
Limping, she went over to where they were a few moments ago and tried racking her brain of any way to make it appear. 'What is it? Where is it?' Then, she looked around. If that was 11, and that was 13...
"12 Grimmauld Place," Deanna whispered, her voice cracking, and to her surprise, the house appeared in between 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place, and the Muggles inside looked as if nothing happened, still looking at a box that had moving photographs in it.
Thinking it may disappear again, Deanna rushed to the door and knocked frantically. She spoke in her hoarse voice. "Help... help me..." Deanna heard the faint sound of clicks and locks and then, the door opened and through her fading vision, she found wands pointed at her.
"Who are you?" A growling voice said. Deanna opened her mouth to answer but the world had faded away as she heard a distant thud, and even if she dreaded it, Deanna had to surrender to the darkness once more.
The members of the Order of the Phoenix exchanged confused and surprised looks. What were they supposed to do with this girl who had just fainted? Sirius came from the dining room. "What's taking you all so long?"
"Go on, Lupin, take her in," Moody said with doubt in his voice.
"Are you sure, Mad-Eye?" Remus said, bending down and looking at the girl at the step.
"Yes, hurry up," growled Moody. "We have no time to waste."
Remus took the drenched girl in his arms and closed the door while Tonks and Kingsley worked on fixing all the locks. Sirius's eyes widened at the sight. "Merlin's beard. What happened to her?"
"I don't know, Padfoot," said Remus, frowning as he saw the bruises and blood on Deanna's body. "Where should I put her?"
Just as Sirius was about to answer, Molly came out from the dining room. "Alastor, Kingsley, come-" Her voice died down, and her eyes widened at the girl in Remus's arms.
"Oh, dear, bring her in." Molly led the way inside the dining room and Remus put down the girl on the new couch in the corner. The songs of "He got off" died down at the sight of the girl.
"Mum, what-"
"Be quiet, Fred," said Arthur, now standing up and walking over to the Order. "What happened?"
"We don't know," said Kingsley in a quiet voice so that the Weasley children, Harry and Hermione wouldn't hear. Molly, Tonks, Moody, Remus and Sirius were talking about what to do.
"We just saw her on the steps, it was actually a surprise that she found herself here," said Tonks, bending down to examine the girl's face. She winced when she saw that her lip was bruised and that there was blood on her cheek.
"We have to increase security," said Moody in a serious voice. "How could she find where the headquarters was?"
"I don't think that should be our concern right now," said Molly. "Look at her. She's got bruises all over."
When Molly was about to touch her, Moody barked at her. "Don't, Molly. We don't know who she is, where she came from and what she's doing here. Who knows if she's a spy? Sent here to look for Headquarters."
It was silent for a few moments. They couldn't be too trusting. One mistake could bring down everything they have been working for. Molly hesitated before nodding. "All right then, but what should we do?"
"We should call Dumbledore," said Kingsley. "He's the Secret Keeper for this place. He can explain how this girl got here."
Remus nodded and brought out his wand, and after a second, a silver wolf came from it and vanished. "He'll come."
And while the adults talked in the corner, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George started talking to each other in hushed whispers.
"Who is she?" said Ron.
"Ronniekins, weren't you listening?" said George.
"She found the Order, she's a spy," said Fred.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "They said she could be one. We don't know yet. What if she's just a victim of the Death Eaters?"
"Maybe, she was tortured by Voldemort," said Harry, and all of them but he flinched. Harry rolled his eyes at them.
"That could be," said Hermione, now pursing her lips in thought. "You-Know-Who could have tortured her, or she could be a spy, but it doesn't explain how she could have gotten in. Like they said, Dumbledore is the Secret Keeper. It's unlikely that he could have just let this girl know about this place."
They too fell in silence and started thinking. A million questions were running through their minds. Who was she? Why was she here? What was she doing? Why was she so beaten up? How did she know about 12 Grimmauld Place? That was the real question. How did she get here?
George nudged them and put a finger to his lips before subtly dropping an Extendable Ear and handing the plugs to everyone. They all, even Hermione after a moment of hesitation, listened in to the hushed conversation of the Order.
"...relatives...Sirius?" said Moody.
"No... only I... own this..." said Sirius in a grave tone.
"But... mistake... couldn't be..." said Kingsley.
"There wasn't anyone watching us, right?" said Tonks, her voice louder than the others.
"No... alone..." said Moody.
Arthur sighed and rubbed his temple. "We have to wait before we act."
Molly bent down and touched Deanna's forehead. "She's burning up, Alastor, we need Dumbledore now. Send another one."
Kingsley brought out his wand and a silver lynx came out before it vanished just as Remus's did.
"But is she fine?" said Sirius with worry lacing his voice.
"She is," said Tonks. "She just needs rest and a bit of healing, but thankfully, nothing life-threatening."
"Shut up, we can't discuss anymore," said Moody, and Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George looked at each other wide-eyed, taking off their ear plugs, before George gave the Extendable Ear a tug and it disappeared.
Molly turned on the group of students and yelled. "I TOLD YOU! ENOUGH OF THOSE EARS! CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT-"
She was cut off by a loud Pop! Albus Dumbledore entered the dining room, looking at them calmly. "What happened that was of utmost urgency, Remus, Kingsley?"
"Albus, we have a problem. A girl found the headquarters," said Moody.
A look of alarm came into Dumbledore's eyes. "How? And who?"
"We don't know how, and we don't know who as well," said Arthur. "She fainted before we could ask her anything."
"Where is she?" Dumbledore asked.
Molly pointed to the couch, and Dumbledore walked to the girl on the couch, but as he was a few inches away, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open. Everyone looked confused at his reaction.
"Dumbledore?" Sirius asked cautiously.
Dumbledore snapped out of his stupor, and he ran over to the girl and knelt down, tears coming into his eyes. "But no... It couldn't be... Deanna?"
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