It was late into the night, but we were sitting opposite each other, studying a huge map laid out on the floor of our cabin. We were trying to decide where to head next, but somehow, both of us felt lost. Around us, multiple ancient codexes littered the carpet as we searched for concealment charms and their counterspells.


    "Nurmengard is in these mountainranges. Somewhere." Quincy hummed, running her fingers over the Alps once again, making me sigh.


    "Yes, it is, but we don''t know where and none of our revealing spells worked."


    "Of course, because it has to be protected from finding it by multiple charms. Maybe even by a Fidelius charm."


    "Could be... but who would be the secret keeper? Nah, it doesn''t matter. Even if we knew that, we couldn''t find them. We need to outplay the charms..."


    "I don''t think we could disillusion any of those types of spells. We don''t have that power."


    "I wouldn''t worry!" Squeaky interjected, bringing us hot chocolate, wearing an encouraging smile. "Master and Mistress are always smart! Good people will be lucky in their endeavors!"


    "Lucky..." I chuckled, but then it hit me. "Lucky... that''s it! You are the best, Squeaky!"


    "Ah? T-thank you, Master!"


    "Felix Felicis!" Quincy exclaimed, catching on as I was rummaging in my bag of holding, disappearing into it right up to my shoulders. So many things were stored within it now that it was impossible to find one little vial.


    "Accio Felix Felicis!" I shouted, pointing my wand into its opening, and soon enough, it flew out right into my palm. "I totally forgot about it... now, this is what we need!"


    "How are you going to do it?" Quincy asked, making me fall silent, pondering about what should come next.


    "I think the best method would be if we set out, intending to go and find Nurmengard. Then, while moving, I will drink it and let my luck do its thing."


    "I hope it will work..." She murmured, watching the potion in my hand.


    "All the defenses around that ancient castle, prison, whatever it is, must be set up to deter or divert people who are intentionally looking for it. Would they work against someone accidentally... well, luckily, stumbling onto it? Can they counter something like luck? We will know after we try it!"


    "And if it doesn''t, we can still regroup and think about something else."


    "That is also true. Now... Squeaky?" I sighed, turning towards her.


    "Yes, Master?"


    "I think it is time I set you free."


    "What?! Why?! Did Squeaky do something bad?! Was Squeaky a bad elf?!" She panicked, her large eyes swelling and filled with tears.


    "No, no! You are the best house elf a wizard could ask for. It... it would be simply too dangerous and-"


    "No! Squeaky doesn''t want to! No!"


    I didn''t know what to do with her now. She was wailing so loud now it was scary. Looking at Quincy, she was just as troubled as me, shaking her head, telling me she had no idea what we should do.


    "Well..." I mumbled, "If you want to come-"


    "Yes! Squeaky will come! Squeaky will do well and be helpful! Master will see!" She nodded her head over and over again, making her long ears flap around.


    Deep inside, I was somewhat relieved. I grew up with her, and she was now the last link to my old life, to my home... and to my Father. I... I think I was happy that she refused to be set free. So, in return, I dropped the topic.


    "We should prepare!" Quincy clapped, looking at us warmly, "We don''t know when we will have peace again, so let''s get stocked up on everything!"


    "How are the potions?" I asked because Quincy began brewing multiple that would be useful since we have been living here. Most notably, she began making Polyjuice potions from the hair of local muggles and a few antidote and healing drinks.


    "They are going to be finished soon. It was a good idea to start on the Polyjuice in time; the one-month brewing period is nonsense."


    "Should Squeaky go out and buy more cauldrons?" She asked, but I shook my head, patting hers.


    "No, it is enough. Somebody who keeps a lookout would become suspicious of you... you already bought brooms, ingredients, books, and cauldrons. Even an idiot could put it together that someone was brewing something. Oh well, I knew we couldn''t stay here for long. How much time do we need for the potions?"This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Two days at most. Then, we can be on our way."


    ...


    ....


    ......


    Hermione couldn''t shake off her nervousness and couldn''t say why. It was unreasonable to feel it like that... and her friends thought it was because Fleur was coming. It was true in a way, but even she didn''t know why the news made her this uneasy.


    "Did something happen?" She thought, mulling over it, but nothing was out of the ordinary.


    She went ahead and spent yesterday going up and down the advanced slopes, having fun, and enjoying skiing. She made some small talk with others while riding the lifts, and... that was it.


    "The time..."


    "Hm? Did you say something?" Brigitte asked, but Hermione only shook her head, smiling at her.


    "Nothing!"


    It was something. The time... it did not add up. Thinking about it, her sense of time did not work. She couldn''t fully remember how long it took to ride the lift, to go down the slope, and when she decided to end it and head back. Focusing on it more, there were inconsistencies between the memories within her mind, especially when it came to the moment she decided to head back. It was way overdue when she returned, and she wouldn''t have stayed out that long. Even if the courses were lit up at night, she wouldn''t have done it, no matter how angry or frustrated she was. It was unlike her, and she knew that.


    "Something happened to me." Hermione thought, furrowing her brows, "And the only logical solution is that my memories were tampered with. Did I see something I shouldn''t have? But what? There shouldn''t be wizards here. Miss Delacour sounded serious in her letter; her handwriting was more haggard and less eloquent than before. It was more forceful. Something is not right!"


    "She is here!" Shouted Elodie, noticing Fleur''s figure coming straight towards their cabin. Her strides were long and looked serious and even a bit scary.


    "Miss Delacour!" Brigitte said while opening the door, welcoming her in, helping her to her jacket and hat.


    "Thank you, Brigitte." She nodded, showing elegance and class and the fact that she perfectly knew who they were. "Elodie." She added, nodding at the other girl before her eyes settling on Hermione, finally smiling a little. "Hermione."


    "Miss Delcaour." She nodded back, flinching, feeling embarrassed to stare at her like that... but she looked... tired. Troubled. Black bags were peeking through under her eyes; even if she tried to hide them with makeup, they were noticeable.


    "Fleur will do. I am sorry to barge into your spring holiday like this, but this is something very important." She explained, waving her wand around and erecting a bubble around the cabin that would mask their presence and words. "Let''s sit down, and I will explain, as this is not only an assignment for the Academy but for the Order."


    "The Order!" The trio exclaimed, looking at each other, hearing themselves gulp. This meant it had to do something with what happened at the Triwizard Tournament.


    "The news you all heard is accurate. There was an attack to bring down the Dark Lord, and we mostly succeeded."


    "But..." Hermione wanted to interrupt, but Fleur raised her hand.


    "I know HE returned. There is not much I can explain now as there are secrets I am not aware of myself either. This is to safeguard ourselves. What you need to know is that the mission itself was a success. What I have been working on since then is to capture two fugitive Death Eaters."


    "Those kids in the newspaper?" Brigitte asked, finding it hard to believe. They were the same age as them... how dangerous could they be?


    "They are dangerous. I am telling you. I faced the one named Conrad, and I can tell he is... strong." She explained, not wanting to utter the words ''lost'' or ''losing'' at all. "What I can tell you is that they are evil and must be captured before they kill again."


    "What?!" The trio flinched, and Hermione became especially pale.


    "Yes. They are killers! The boy... he... he killed Celine." Fleur let the girls process the information, and even if they didn''t know her personally, the fact that one of their schoolmates died was a big shock to them. "When the battle was lost, they fled like cowards; that is why the Dark Lord is also looking for them. HE does not take lightly to traitors, you see. We need to find them before something worse happens and lock them away forever!"


    "What would be our roles... why we?" Hermione asked, feeling her lips dry, licking and biting them. She had an even worse feeling building up in her, not just because of the problems with her memories. The Fleur before her felt off. She was not like she remembered her. Did the tournament change her this much? Really?


    "We made some moves in the tournament; the short story is that I can track them, and I feel that they were either here or are still here!"


    "Here?!" They cried out once again, gulping loudly


    "Yes. This is a muggle... village or whatever, and I know that you are from a muggle family, Hermione."


    "Y-yes?" She nodded, already guessing what she was thinking about.


    "They are pureblood wizards; they won''t be able to blend in perfectly. We can find them with you, even if they change their appearance! You can tell us who acts differently and who doesn''t."


    "..."


    "Hermione?" Fleur asked, finally noticing how white she was and her unusually trembling hands.


    "I may have already met with them..."


    "Really?!" Fleur shouted louder than Brigitte or Elodie. She grabbed Hermione''s shoulders with two painfully strong hands, almost shaking the light out of her. "When?! Where?!"


    "I don''t know... But, my memories are... they... feel weird."


    "Of course! It is known that the boy has learned memory-altering charms..."


    "Hermione!" Her friends gasped, getting worried but not as much as she felt within herself.


    "Don''t worry... I have been prepared for it. Headmaster Flamel used charms on my mind before I left, and I also got restorative potions from him. Come, drink this!" She said hurriedly, picking out a vial and pushing it into Hermione''s palm. "This will extract your fake memories and recall the original ones."


    Hermione wanted to ask so many things, but seeing the dangerous, impatient light in Fleur''s eyes, she had lost the courage to do so. In the end, she had no other choice but to pull out the cork and down it. The moment it flowed down her throat, incredible pain gripped her head, making her kneel over and cry out. She felt like her skull was put into a vice, crushing it ever so slowly.


    "Endure it!" Fleur commanded, pulling out her wand as the others watched, horrified as white strands of thoughts were rising from within Hermione''s head. Fleur simply looked on and smilingly began collecting it with her wand. "Got you... you won''t escape this time, Conrad..."