Your Guardian Angel

Hermione sat silently in her bedroom, a small book open in her lap and she was skimming through it carelessly. Downstairs, the Order of the Phoenix was holding another small meeting and, as always, they were not allowed to attend. She was trying to find more information about Voldemort and so far this book hadn’t been particularly helpful at all. It was a damper to her normally high-spirited mood. She had gone as far as secluding herself away in her bedroom since Wednesday afternoon, after her talk with Harry. This book was one of spells and curses, some of which made her intestines clench in disgust and left her feeling sick. A sound at the door made her look up. “Come in.”

The door opened and Harry walked inside. “The meeting is over with. Tonks and Kingsley are going to be staying for dinner.” He explained, frowning at his best friend. He had barely seen her since yesterday and it wasn’t like Hermione to distance herself.

“Okay, great.” She said.

“What are you reading about today?” He asked.

“Spells,” Hermione explained. “You should read this. Some of them are just horrible but they really are quite fascinating. Did you know there are some spells to tell the future and to who you’re soul mate is?”

This sprinkled his interest. “Really? The future?”

”Oh yes. In here they say that Artemis Lee invented it. There’s just one problem with this spell. Artemis Lee died a sudden death and no one knows what happened to him. Every witch or wizard that has tried it since has died soon after. It’s quite sad, really…”

Harry sat down besides her on the bed, reading over her shoulder. “They all died? Just like that?” He asked.

“Yes. Every action in this world will bare a consequence and the consequence of knowing the future, in this case, is your own death.” She sighed. “Something’s are just not meant to be known until they happen.” She wanted to see the true effects of this spell even if that was never completely possible.

He nodded and she shut the book with a snap. “That spell makes me wonder. I wonder if they saw themselves dying.” Hermione said, glancing to Harry thoughtfully. “What do you think?”

”Maybe the spell doesn’t show the future? That it was just made to seem like it? How would anyone really know if they die suddenly afterwards with no chance to write down what they saw?” Harry countered. Hermione was speechless. How had she not thought of that? It made her itch to try the spell even more.

“I suppose we should go downstairs for dinner then?” Harry nodded and with her help, stood up. Together the pair made their way towards the dining room in compatible silence.

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The storms were back at full throttle throughout dinner. Tonks was the chatterbox of the day, chatting merrily with anyone who happened to look her way. Laughing and telling stories about what had been going on the last few weeks. Surprisingly enough there had been no attacks and the Ministry had been pretty quiet.

“But there haven’t been any attacks lately?”

“No, shockingly enough, there hasn’t been a hint of movement from the Death Eaters.” Tonks replied with a nod of her head. “It’s been kind of boring and they still have us out doing stakeouts.”

“What I would give to be out there with you guys.” Ron murmured admiringly. It was a well known fact that Ron wanted to be an Auror once he graduated from Hogwarts. He had taken keen interest in chatting with the Auror’s that were a part of the Order.

“Don’t you say that, Ronald Weasley! I will not have you talking like that in this house.” Molly snapped, shoving a fork into his face threateningly. “You are very lucky to be in this house where it is safe!”

Harry resisted the urge to announce that no one was safe anymore. By the looks on everyone’s faces, they knew this fact just as well. Not the Order, not the Muggles, not the Death Eaters, no one. He exchanged a look with Ron that went unnoticed by Mrs. Weasley. They grinned lightly, moving to spoon some vanilla pudding onto their plates.

“Well…” Tonks seemed just as uneasy now after Mrs. Weasley’s trust of her fork into Ron’s face. “That was…eventful.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Everyone left at the table turned their heads to face Ginny. This was the first time she had spoken since last night. “What?” she asked.

“That’s the first time you’ve spoken during dinner.”

“That was because I was eating, Ron.” She rolled her eyes in frustration and Ron’s cheeks blossomed in color.

“You didn’t have to say that, Gin. He was just answering your question.” Ginny opened her mouth to say something to Hermione but Tonks raised her hand into the air, successfully cutting her off. Harry frowned as he studied Ginny. There was definitely something off about her today.

“Can we please talk about something more cheerful?” Tonks seemed a lot more frustrated and exhausted then she had at the beginning of their dinner. He watched in silence as her hair got duller and duller in color when it had been bright, hot-pink only a few minutes ago. Ginny left the table with Fred and George which left only Harry, Ron, Hermione and Tonks at the table. “Better yet, how about I pick up and you guys go to bed? It’s getting pretty late.”

“I guess we could do that…but it’s really not all that late.” Tonks turned a dark glare onto him and Hermione grabbed his arm. “C’mon.” She whispered, taking Harry’s as well and leading them out of the kitchen. The sound of china shattering caused them to look back and they heard Tonks swear. Her frown deepened, dragging them upstairs. “It was best that we get out of there soon anyway. Tonks looked tired all of a sudden.”

Ron pouted. “I’m still not tired though. Can’t we hang around downstairs?”

“No. You’re so thick, Ronald. Let’s just go upstairs and play a game of Exploding Snap or something. We’re only getting in the way if we stay downstairs.” Ron gave in them, climbing up the stairs behind Hermione. “Thank you.” She said once they entered her room.

Ginny was already there, lying on her bed and reading the latest edition of Witch Weekly. “Hi.”

“Hullo.” Ron looked down at his sister. “What are you doing, Ginny?”

Hermione laid down on her own bed, trying to figure out what had made Tonks change so suddenly. It’s just not like Tonks at all. She was doing so well…she seemed really happy. “I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Ginny asked. Ignoring Ron’s question she slipped the magazine beneath her pillow and sat up.

“Tonks,” Hermione said. “She was fine and then bam, she was out of it. Right after Mrs. Weasley yelled at Ron.”

“She’s probably just tired. I know most of the Order members are. You can see it on their faces.” Ginny said lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah but it still doesn’t explain why she was all smiles and then bam, it was like her happiness died away or something.”

“Don’t worry about Tonks. I’ve been talking to her a lot lately and I’m positive that she is alright.” The ginger-haired girl smiled. “Did you know Snape stopped by again today? I heard him talking to Dad on the way upstairs. I didn’t even hear him come in.”

“Did you hear what they were talking about?”

”Not really. I didn’t hang around too long. I heard something about the Order and You-Know-Who.” Ginny answered, looking towards Harry, who frowned.

“That’s twice that Snape has been here in a row. What were they saying about Voldemort?”

Ginny shook her head again. “Please don’t say his name, Harry. I told you, I really didn’t hear what they were saying.” She said. “I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping so I left to my room.” Hermione shook her head.

“I don’t think its anything to worry about.”

”Like Tonks?”

”Ginny that was completely different. I’m not worried about Snape but I am worried about Tonks. Tonks is our friend and Snape…well, you know.”

She scoffed but returned to her magazine.

“I’m going to go to bed, guys.” Harry hugged Hermione and Ginny before nodding at Ron. “See you in the morning.” Harry turned and walked out of the girl’s bedroom, lost in thought. If Snape was visiting more often it had to mean that he knew something, right? As much as Harry did not like to admit it, he knew what a powerful wizard Snape was and he knew that he was a double agent all this time. He might know what the Death Eaters have been doing all this time. Even Tonks said it was unusual for them not to have moved for this long. He opened the door to his bedroom, walking inside.

The room lit up from a crack of lightning and Harry shuddered. Undressing he tried to rid himself of his thoughts about Snape and Tonks and what Voldemort might be doing at that moment. He still hadn’t gotten them out of his mind by the time he laid his head down and drifted to sleep.

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Every free moment Draco had over the next few days had been spent practicing the spells that he would need when he left for Rayn’s house. It was a difficult spell to learn but with his mother helping as much as she could, he had managed to perform it decently. By no means was it perfect but at least the furniture he had been transfiguring bore a close resemblance.

The textbook his mother had left him had explained the spell as well as the aftereffects.

The Res Anhelo spell is one of the trickiest Transfiguration spells. It can take a simple, inanimate object and turn it into a living, breathing, and realistic creature. It is hard to trace and the spell will last as long as the caster wishes it to be. In order for a successful change, the caster will need to concentrate solely on the object they wish to change.

Then it went on to explain what would happen if the castor performed it wrong. The effects weren’t severe but they would slow him down and he didn’t have the time for that. He called to Tripsy, double checking that she had stored the house Iris would be staying in with everything that she would need before he was satisfied that everything was set and he could leave.

Stuffing the transfiguration text book beneath his mattress, Draco left quickly. It was getting late and he had to move fast if he wanted to get to Rayn’s house with enough time to explain.

Draco pulled up to the house, checking the clock. 8:00. He still had an hour to explain the situation to Iris and get her and Rayn out of the house before Lucius came to get him for his mission.

He knocked quickly on the door, stuffing his wand into the back pocket of his jeans. He called for Iris, He heard the lock clicking on the other side of the door and he soon came face to face with Iris. “Draco! What are you doing here?” She asked, letting him in.

“I need to ask you a very big favor. Is Rayn around?”

”No. She is asleep right now.” Iris said, looking worried. She had never seen Draco look quite so afraid. Granted she hadn’t known him very long at all but it worried her all the same. “Sure. What is it?” She asked.

”I need you to leave the country.” He absently thought that that might not have been the best way to approach the subject but he was in a hurry and he had no time to slide around. He glanced at the clock before he turned back to her. She was staring at him as if he had just asked her to jump off a cliff. “You want me to what?”

”I need you to pack up some things and leave the country. I don’t have the time to explain everything. There is a group of people coming after you tonight-“Iris opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand to stop her. “You have to believe me! You need to leave the country for a few weeks. I have a place already situated where you can stay.”

”Why would people want to come after Rayn and I? We’ve never done anything.”

”I’m a wizard.” Iris stared at him. “They are coming after you…because of me.”

”You are a what?”

”A wizard.” Draco didn’t dare look her in the eye. He wouldn’t be able to take seeing her look of shocked disbelief. She probably thought he was mental and Draco wouldn’t have blamed her. “In our world – the Wizarding world – there is a Lord…who went bad.” Iris scoffed. “Believe me. He went as bad as you can possibly get.” Draco took a deep breath before summing up Voldemort to Iris. He knew as he watched her face that she didn’t believe a word that he was saying. He explained Lucius and how they had found out about her and her daughter and his mission from the Dark Lord. When he was finished, Iris was glaring at him.

”So these…these Death Eaters are coming after my daughter and I because of you?”

Draco averted his gaze and nodded slowly, painfully. “Yes.”

”How…how could you do this, Draco?!”

”I didn’t mean for it to happen. I don’t know how my father found out about you.” Draco said. He knew that didn’t make up for anything. “I found out a way that I can make it seem that I have killed you and Rayn without actually doing it but in order for it to work, I need you to flee the country.”

”How do I know any of this is true?”

Draco pulled out his wand, showing it to Iris. “Watch this.” He raised his wand hand. Iris watched on as he performed a strange flicking movement. “Wingardium Leviosa.” Her eyes went wide as the cake pan in the sink raised up and floated towards them. He took the pan out of thin air and put it down on the counter, pocketing his wand. Draco turned to Iris. Her eyes were wide and her slender fingers covered her open mouth. “Oh my Lord…” she whispered.

Draco nodded lightly. “I know this is a bit of a shock for you-“

”Shock doesn’t even begin to cover it!” Iris said, finding her voice after a moment. “Draco, you come barging into my home telling me that you’re a…a wizard and that I have to leave the country! How am I supposed to react?”

At least she didn’t faint from shock, Draco thought. “Iris, I promise I will come and explain everything to you but right now I need you to go.”

”Where am I supposed to go?”

Draco pulled out a small necklace from his pocket. It was in the shape of a small teardrop, made of pure silver on a silver chain. “This is a portkey. This will bring you to a safe haven that belongs to my mother. The house has a charm upon it that does not let anyone else, muggle or wizard to see it unless they have clear instructions from the Secret Keeper. I am your secret keeper. No one can get the directions without my approval.” He handed the necklace to her; she took it with trembling hands. “I ask you one thing…until I am absolutely certain that you are safe there…” What he said next was sure to offend her. “I ask you to let me keep Rayn. I know of a place where she can stay. As soon as the details are figured out, I’ll bring her to your safe haven.”

The answer he got surprised Draco. “As long as she is safe.” It shouldn’t have. It was a well known fact that a mothers love was the strongest kind of love and that a mother would do anything to protect her child. Draco smiled sadly, feeling even worse about taking Rayn away from her. “She will be, Iris. I swear upon my life that I won’t let anything happen to her.”

”How does this work?”

”In ten minutes it will activate. The effects of the portkey are not at all pleasurable but they’re gone as quickly as they come. You’ll find yourself in front of a cabin – its much larger then it looks. Don’t go anywhere. I’ve personally made sure that you’ll have enough provisions until I can come and visit you.”

”Can I say goodbye to Rayn?”

”Yes, quickly. Come back down here before your time is done, and bring Rayn down with you. I’ve got a few more things to explain.” She nodded and, looking shaken up, left the kitchen to hurry up to Rayn’s bedroom. Draco then set himself to work. He conjured up two additional kitchen chairs. “Wingardium Leviosa.” He whispered, and he walked into the living room, the two chairs floating in the air behind him. He set them down and began to concentrate.

He stared long and hard at the kitchen chairs. He concentrated on the images of Rayn and Iris, Rayn’s red hair and sparkling blue eyes. How she sounded when she said, “Sir Draco” and how she walked with a bounce in her step. Like that of an innocent, carefree child. Iris’ black hair and blue eyes, intelligent and young. A young woman who had been through far too much, far too quickly.

”Res Anhelo!” He performed the quick wrist movement, never once letting his mind wander. Slowly but surely the two kitchen chairs began to bear resemblance to Rayn and Iris. He held the spell, clenching his teeth painfully. He could feel his magic being drained away with the power of the spell.

Just as he was beginning to see black, the spell was done and before him stood two exact replicas of Rayn and Iris. Breathing, moving replicas.

The smile on Draco’s face was bright enough to light up the entire room. His face fell at the sudden yelp from behind him. Quickly, he turned. Rayn was standing in the doorway, her face full of fear. Iris’ look wasn’t any more pleasant. Though she knew what they were, in a sense, it didn’t take away the shock of seeing a identical replica sitting on her living room couch. “Be still my heart…”

“Sir D-draco?” Rayn stammered, hiding behind her mothers leg. “What are…”

Draco cut her off. “Did you say your goodbyes?” He asked Iris. He took a good look of her not long after. Tracks of silent tears poured from her eyes to her chin and he knew his answer before she even spoke. “Yes.” Her voice was no louder then a shrill whisper. “The portkey is going to…activate soon, yeah?” she asked.

He nodded. “Rayn, I promise I will tell you everything but right now I need you to do me a favor.” He pulled out a small hip flask from his pocket and handed it to her. “It doesn’t taste very good but I need you to take it.” She clung to the flask, looking up at Iris for approval.

She nodded. “I love you,” Rayn smiled at the gesture of affection. “Love you too, mommy.” She said, although confused. She drank the dark liquid contents. Iris watched nervously and then suddenly, Rayn toppled over. Draco caught her before she hit the ground with a flick of his wand. “She’ll be out cold for the next two hours. She’s going to stay with a close friend of mine. He’ll be here…ah, here he comes.”

Iris, shocked beyond belief and scared twirled around quickly to see a black figure appear out of thin air in front of her house. The doorbell rang and Draco spoke something that Iris didn’t catch in her daze. Too much had happened in so little time. Severus Snape strode into the now open door, thanks to Draco’s spell. “We’re in the sitting room, Professor.”

“P-Professor?”

“He teaches me at school.” Draco explained. The towering, dark figure of Snape walked quickly into the sitting room. He looked at the young girl, then her mother and then at Draco in quick precision. His eyes bypassed the two replicas entirely. “I trust you’ve explained everything?”


“Yes Professor. She’s said her goodbyes and the portkey is about to activate.”

Snape nodded. “Once you’re done with Lucius, I expect you at my house, Draco and then we’ll take you to the Order and let them deal with you.”

“Do they know?”

“Not quite.” Snape pulled out a wand of his own, issuing a watery gasp from Iris, and waved it at the daughter. She rose up from the ground, hanging lifelessly in midair. “Be careful, Draco.” Snape took the floating girl into his arms and then he was gone with a loud crack. Iris screamed, slinking back in fear.

“Apparation. Means to transfer from one place to the other.”

He looked at his watch. “Iris, be careful. I’ll bring Rayn to you as soon as I can.” He hugged the elder woman. “I am so sorry for getting you both into this.” He had only apologized a few times in his life. Draco was shocked to hear it flow so easily from his lips.

Iris didn’t hug him back, too stiff and tense to do much of anything. “Be careful.” He said again, backing away. “Hold on tightly to the portkey it should activate…now.”

In a blink of an eye, Iris disappeared in a similar fashion of Snape. The last thing he saw was her terror struck eyes. He closed his own tightly, willing away every other emotion from inside him. He didn’t have time to worry. He had to have a clear mind in order to do this. “Iris, Rayn.”

Two faces turned to look at him. “Rayn, go upstairs to bed. Iris, watch the telly.” On his orders, young Rayn said goodnight, skipping towards the stairs and Iris grabbed the remote control. “Stay like this.” Was his final order before he disappeared.

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Harry slept soundly. Through the rain, the thunder and the lightning. Ron lay asleep in his bed, peaceful and unaware. Neither knew at that moment, a situation that would change their lives was unfolding. Across the country, a mother screamed, protecting her daughter, as a cold voice whispered, Avada Kedavra, and a ghostly green light lit up a small house.


All was still.