hestivjonesâ:
Hestiaâs mind was racing. He only confirmed what sheâd already had guessed, but didnât want to accept. A coup⌠Why else would they move so openly? The confirmation only amplified the questions that buzzed through her mind, all too quick to really settle. âWhatâs changed?â she asked out loud, musing rather than expecting an answer. âWhatâs happened to make them move so openly?â
She shook her head, letting him lead her onward. No, this wasnât the time for questions or letting her mind wander. Anything other than vigilance could mean death in a situation like this. Hestia tried to empty her mind âa feat rarely done- and moved on. If they survived this, and that was a big if, then she could try to unravel the motivation of the coup.
For now, the priority was survival. Survive and get as many out in one piece as possible. She lifted her wand arm as they moved, ready to lash out at every turn.
âGood,â she said, nodding. If the Order was here, that meant that they might actually have a chance. âI havenât seen anyone either. Not many Death Eaters either⌠Maybe theyâre headed for somewhere in particular. Or just spreading out to cause chaos.â
Hestia bit her lip. This wasnât the time to start rambling or nervously chatter. She had always thought that if she was in a life or death situation, her body would freeze up. Instead, she found herself fidgety. It was an effort not to bounce with every step.
Hestia nodded again. This time she risked a glance up at him. âYeah, Iâm okay. Wherever they hit first, I wasnât there. Everything just sorta⌠trickled down, I suppose.â
She considered for a moment. With Fabian by her side, she felt a bit braver. And now that she knew what the situation was, she could deal with it. The Order had come to help and that included her. So she glanced up at Fabian again.
âIs it bad elsewhere? We should help.â
What had changed? It was a good question. One that Fabian didnât have the answer to. âI donât know,â Fabian admitted, somewhat disappointed in himself. Of course, there was no way he could reasonably know, if even the leaders of their organisation hadnât seen this coming, but still, it felt like some kind of failure.
He nodded in agreement with her hypothesis. âProbably a bit of both. Theyâll have a goal, but if I were them, Iâd want to cause as much chaos as I could to disguise it.â Which wasnât a particularly reassuring thought. Were you wasting your time if you got distracted patching up the small wounds all whilst there was some huge internal haemorrhage going on? But how were you expected to ignore the little wounds when they could be Death Eaterâs torturing innocents, killing them. An impossible situation, and one that did not get easier the more you thought about it. In times like this he had to rely on instinct and hope for the best.
âGood.â He glanced down at her again. Merlin, she was so small. Over a foot shorter than he was, and whilst he knew that was no indication of how powerful or competent she was, it still made his heart constrict to think of her in danger. âGood.â He repeated. He was glad she was safe, at least for now.Â
With her question about elsewhere he was reminded of his personal quest to find Gideon. âI didnât catch too much trouble on my way here. The atrium was struck pretty hard, but whatever they want, itâs not there.â He hesitated for a moment. âDo you know the way to the Department of Mysteries?â He asked. For a moment he considered being transparent with his wish to find his twin, but it felt too selfish to say out loud. âLotâs of dangerous stuff there. Powerful things. It could be the target.â It wasnât a lie, just not the whole truth.















